The definitive list of Australia’s best golf courses

Australian TravellerBy Australian Traveller
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AT stalwart and serial golfing maniac Matt Cleary drove around Australia for four months, playing golf every second day along the way (hey, someone had to). So who better to ask for a whirlwind tour of courses you just have to love? If you are a vacationer who enjoys golf in the time off you have, you might want to keep reading.

Magenta Shores Golf & Country Club

Magenta Shores magic.

If Magenta Shores was an actress, it would be Raquel Welch in One Million Years BC: gorgeous, wild, desirable and “a savage world whose only law was lust!" (True, barring the lust/law thing.) Yet if Magenta Shores wants to hurt you – and when the wind is up it can, friend, it can – it possesses myriad methods. The bunkers, like Kris Kristofferson, are hairy and deep. The greens, like disco floors, are hard. The fairways meander between grassy dunes like velvet tongues through herds of longhaired highland yaks. This dune-side devil will test your golf like calculus tests fifth graders. Just play it.

Details

Magenta, Central Coast NSW, www.magentagolf.com.au , 1800 095 764.

Bonville Golf Resort

The perfection of Augusta-like Bonville and its rows of majestic gumtrees.

If Bonville was an actress, it would be Jessica Alba: possibly the most beautiful thing you have ever seen. Designed in homage to Augusta, of US Masters fame, Bonville is all super-tall thin eucalypts, grass trees and koalas, with crystal streams crossing fairways lined by sub-tropical jungle. Just south of Coffs Harbour, Bonville was carved from a rainforest of Flooded Gums and is as close to playing Augusta as you’ll ever get in Australia.

Details

Bonville, NSW, www.bonvillegolf.com.au , 1300 722 444.

New South Wales GC

If New South Wales GC was an actress, it would be Meryl Streep: brilliant, theatrical, high-brow, up itself. Yet the club’s tickets on itself come with good reason. It’s one of the best golf courses in the world and listed in every golf worthy’s Australian Top-3 (with Royal Melbourne West and Kingston Heath). A couple of years ago I was on the fifth fairway with Stuart Appleby during a photo shoot. Such was the roaring fury of the sou’easter, Appleby could not reach the green from 100m, facing downhill, with a full 7-iron. Later we moved to the tee of the iconic par-3 sixth, with its water carry over Curwee Cove. As huge waves crashed against the cliffs and the photo girls twittered around Appleby like honey-lovin’ bees, a couple of Blackhawks choppered past up the coast. Nobody blinked. It’s that sort of golf course. (That said, you have to hock a kidney to play it; so look next door at St Michael’s, where for $40 you can play their Open Day without losing much in the way of water views and challenge.)

Details

La Perouse, NSW, www.nswgolfclub.com.au , (02) 9311 2573.

Mt Broughton GC

The Ewan McGregor of golf courses, Mt Broughton in the NSW Southern Highlands

If Mt Broughton was an actor, it would be Ewan McGregor: interesting, unusual, with a twinkle in the eye and a hint of Scottish Highlands. Calling Mt Broughton an inland links might be oxymoronic (links courses by definition are built on dunes between the ocean and arable land), but it’s still a super fun track. Lined by long white death grass (for your balls and for you, golfer, if you tread on a red bellied black snake) and very occasional trees because they got rid of them. Respect.

Details

Sutton Forest, NSW, www.mtbroughton.com.au , (02) 4868 3700.

Federal GC

If Federal was an actress, it would be Sigrid Thornton: pretty, established, with a familiarity you know and trust. Federal in the ACT is where I learned etiquette at the teat of my forefather (hence why it gets a gig over Royal Canberra) and is fun like a beer with a favourite uncle. With kangaroos.

Details

Red Hill, ACT, www.fgc.com.au , (02) 6281 3799.

Brookwater GC

If Brookwater was a former tennis player and model, it would be Anna Kournikova: jaw-droppingly desirable with a look in its eye that says you cannot afford me. (Though you can.) And while it’s a shame to pick just one course from the great golf state of Qld – Coolum, Hope Island, Sanctuary Cove (Pines) and Lakelands are all tops – Brookwater is my pick of the litter. Long and lovely, tricky and tough, it’s designed by Greg Norman, run by the clever people of Troon Golf (who rightly treat like a VIP anyone willing to shell out $100 to play), and sits among Springfield’s sclerophyll forest like a bird-filled chunk of golfing goodness.

Details

Brookwater, Qld, (07) 3814 5500, www.brookwatergolf.com .

Barnbougle Dunes

Tasmania’s Barnbougle Dunes was an actress, it would be Angelina Jolie: wild, a bit different, gob-smackingly spectacular in the flesh, and with loads of interesting curves and bumps.

If Barnbougle Dunes was an actress, it would be Angelina Jolie: wild, a bit different, gob-smackingly spectacular in the flesh, and with loads of interesting curves and bumps. The great green beast of Tassie’s northeast is a classic links: sandy dunes; prevailing sea breezes; no trees. Created from a few unused hectares of farmland by a team that included 24-year-old entrepreneur Greg Ramsay, “dumb spud farmer" Richard Sattler, and esteemed course architects Mike Clayton and Tom Doak, Barnbougle is listed in the world’s Top-50 courses, is Australia’s No.1 public access course, has neither golf carts nor members hogging it to their chests like greedy toffs with a trunk full of jewels, and is perched on Bass Strait like a windy, duney piece of green-velvet golf heaven. Do you play golf? You have to play Barnbougle Dunes. It’s an order. From God.

Details

Bridport, Tas, (03) 6356 0094.

It’s perched on Bass Strait like a windy, duney piece of green-velvet golf heaven. Do you play golf? You have to play Barnbougle Dunes. It’s an order. From God.

The National GC

If The National was an actress, it would be Cate Blanchett: beautiful, talented, sophisticated and multi-faceted. The National has three courses – Moonah (ranked 8th in Australia), Old (12th) and Ocean (47th) – and they’re all superb. Its practice facilities could host the Institute of Sport. Its clubhouse is a huge cathedral of glass and stone wherein people with white shirts serve fine wine and food. It’s on the water’s edge of Mornington Peninsula, one of the great regions for the great game in Australia. Play it, however you can.

Details

Cape Schanck, VIC, www.nationalgolf.com.au , (03) 5988 6777.

Joondalup Golf Resort

Sunrise at Joondalup Golf Resort

If Joondalup was an actress, it would be Milla Jovovich in The Fifth Element: a beautiful roller-coaster possibly conceived by men on acid. Bunkers like giant moon craters with 20m walls and ladders. Sheer granite cliff faces lining greens. Cathedrals of rock. Deserts of sand. Lakes of fire. Hazards from which fire shoots out. Volcanoes spouting forth huge gobs of lava. Acid rain. You get the drift. It’s a funky course, and though there is no fire or lava (who writes this stuff?), it’s 27 holes of crazy golf action.

Details

Connolly, WA, www.joondalupresort.com.au , (08) 9400 8811.

The Cut, Port Bouvard

If The Cut was an actress, it would be Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct: beautiful, dangerous, untamed and a lesbian. Well, not a lesbian. But when the Freo Doctor roars up from the vast aqua nullius of the Southern Ocean, The Cut can come across a little dangerous, with a look in its eye that says, “Take me on – if you dare". It’s a sensational track. Rolling bowls. Wind-polished hard fairways. Greens of truth and justice. The town of Mandurah might come across a little White Shoe Brigade, with its giant boats and McMansions, but The Cut is one of the best courses in the country (and, despite suggestions to the contrary, does not have a silent “n" in its name).

Details 

Mandurah, WA, www.the-cut.com.au , (08) 9582 4420.

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You haven’t heard of this Qld outback town, but history buffs can’t miss it

    Kassia ByrnesBy Kassia Byrnes
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    Under wide-open outback skies, discover a fossicking gem that’s managed to slip under the radar.

    While the name Clermont may feel new to even the most intrepid traveller, its gilded history stretches back centuries. You’ll find it just off the highway, humming quietly under the hazy veil of Queensland’s outback sun. It’s here, hemmed in by mountains and perched atop soil heavy with the earth’s treasures, that one of Australia’s most accessible outback adventures awaits.

    Thanks to deposits of gold, copper and gemstones – souvenirs left by exploding supernovas and the heave of tectonic plates – Clermont became a centre point of Queensland’s Gold Rush. And now? Australia’s fossicking capital is yours to discover.

    Getting there

    car driving along Capricorn Way in queensland
    Take a drive through Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. (Image: Sean Scott/ TEQ)

    You’ll find Clermont in Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. To get here, it’s an easy three-hour drive over sealed roads from Mackay. Or, if you’re heading from the Sapphire Fields of Emerald, the drive will carve out just over an hour from your day.

    Whether you’re road-tripping through outback Queensland or just tracing your way through all that Australia has to offer, Clermont is remote but easily accessible.

    Best accommodation in Clermont

    Theresa CreekDam in clermont
    Camp by Theresa Creek Dam. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)

    All accommodation comes with a generous helping of country hospitality here. The choice is yours between modern hotels, parking up the camper or pitching a tent.

    Theresa Creek Dam lies just outside town. Begin each day with crisp country air and bright outback sunrises. Spend the night under the sparkling country stars and your days out on the dam fishing or kayaking. Even if you aren’t camping, be sure to save space in your itinerary for an afternoon on the red dirt shore.

    To stay closer to town, opt for a central hotel to base yourself between exploring and fossicking, like Smart Stayzzz Inn and Clermont Country Motor Inn .

    Things to do in Clermont

    three people on a tour with Golden Prospecting
    Join a tour with Golden Prospecting.

    One does not visit Clermont without trying their hand at fossicking. There are strict rules when it comes to fossicking, so stick to areas dedicated for general permission and make sure you obtain your license beforehand. Try your luck at McMasters , Four Mile , Town Desert, McDonald Flat and Flat Diggings . To increase your odds, sign on for a tour with the expert team at Golden Prospecting . They’ll give you access to exclusive plots and expert advice along the way.

    Once you’ve tried your luck on the gold fields, head to the Clermont Township and Historical Museum . Each exhibit works like an archaeologist’s brush to dust away the layers of Clermont’s history. Like the steam engine that painstakingly relocated the entire town inch by inch to higher ground after it was decimated by flooding in 1916. See the tools that helped build the Blair Athol mine, historic fire engines, shearing sheds and all sorts of relics that make up Clermont’s story.

    The historic Copperfield Chimney offers a change of pace. Legend has it that fossickers found a solid wall of copper here, over three metres high, kick-starting Queensland’s first-ever copper mine.

    Bush Heli Services flying over clermont queensland
    See Clermont from above with Bush Heli Services. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)

    For hiking, nearby Dysart is the best place to access Peak Range National Park. Here, mountainous horizons stretch across the outback as if plucked from another world. Set off for a scenic drive along the Peak Downs Highway for access to countless geological wonders. Like the slanting rockface of Wolfang Peak. Summit it, and you’ll find yourself looking out across a scene surely conjured up by Banjo Paterson. Dry scrub dancing in the warm breeze, grazing cattle, eucalypts and the gentle creak of windmills. Don’t miss visiting Gemini Peaks, either, for one of the park’s best vistas, and a blanket of wild flowers after rain.

    Then, take to the skies with a scenic helicopter tour with Bush Heli-Services . Shift your perspective and cruise above all the sights from your trip. Spots like Lords Table Mountain and Campbell’s Peak are best viewed from the skies.

    Before you head home, be sure to explore the neighbouring townships. Spend a lazy afternoon in the shade of Nebo Hotel’s wrap-around verandahs . The hotel’s 1900s dance hall has since been replaced with one of the area’s biggest rodeo arenas, so consider timing your trip to line up with a boot scootin’ rodeo. Or, stop by a ghost town. Mount Britton was once a thriving town during the 1880s Gold Rush. It’s been totally abandoned and now lies untouched, a perfect relic of the Gold Rush.

    Best restaurants and cafes in Clermont

    meal at Commercial Hotel
    Stop into the Commercial Hotel Clermont.

    Days spent fossicking, bushwalking and cramming on history call for excellent coffee and hearty country meals. Luckily, Clermont delivers in spades.

    Lotta Lattes Cafe is beloved by locals for a reason. Start your days here for the best caffeine fix in town and an impeccable brunch menu.

    For a real country meal, an icy cold beer and that famed country hospitality, head straight to the town’s iconic hotel: the Commercial Hotel (known endearingly to locals as ‘The Commie’). It’s been a staple in Clermont since 1877. The hotel even survived the flood of 1916 when it was sawn in two and moved to higher ground.

    Naturally, time spent in the outback must include calling into the local bakery. For delicious pies and a tantalising array of sweet treats, make Bluemac Bakehouse your go-to while in town.

    Discover more of The Mackay Isaac region, and start planning your trip at mackayisaac.com.